Long time, No See

This semester has been busy as hell. I am going to post some stuff on memes in the (hopefully) near future. Seriously. I'm almost done for the semester.

I'm still alive

Despite regular posts, I still intend on posting, however the updates will be irregular. I'm working on some new material to post, and hopefully will have something up in the near future. 70 hours of obligations a week are fun!

Finals

I'm busy going through finals, but it's not so bad. I just haven't had any time to sleep.

Getting My Shit In Line

I'm starting to get some direction as to what I want to do after college (or my undergraduate, more specifically). I want to study memes which are pieces of information that are passed by imitation which change over time. A classic example is the urban legend about the guy who gets drugged and wakes up in a bathtub without his kidneys. It has been passed around countless times, and has slowly changed over time. There's a lot more to it than that (hence the Wikipedia link), but it is a really new field with plenty of fields to be worked in.

But to get there, I have to do stuff to make a graduate school application look good (it's how things work), so I've been doing all that stuff to help. That's resulted in a shortage of free time, elevated stress levels, and never enough sleep. I can't wait for break, I am ready for it.

David

Life at 900 MPH

Lately, it feels like my life has been flying by at an incredible rate. I'm not complaining, but I haven't had a lot of downtime. That's probably why I haven't updated my blog lately. When I do have time, I don't really feel like it. It doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon either. I'll try making more frequent posts, as I am doing some reading in some pretty interesting subject areas.

Ironic Quote

This one is just too good:

However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in "A," "B," "C," and "D." Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of "conservatism."
-- Senator Barry Goldwater, Congressional Record

Is it just me or...

Does it seem like that the middle class is struggling more to keep in the middle class? It just feels like the job market for middle class jobs in America are slowly disappearing. If it is really happening, the long-term implications are pretty scary. It would most likely mean the future economic viability of those who are not already pretty wealthy is disappearing. But even more importantly, a lot of industries depend on the spending of the middle class, such as entertainment and automotive industries, which could cause more job losses, and more downward mobility. It's all kind of scary to think about, being that I will be entering the job market, looking for a career in the next few years.

Quickie

Don't sleepwalk through life.

So much of nothing

I haven't posted in a while, partially due to a lack of a functioning internet connection, partially because I haven't had anything compelling to post. I will figure out something worthwhile to post soon, so check back in a few days. Hopefully there will be something new to read.

Positivity

I haven't been posting much since I got back to school. It's largely due to a hectic schedule with plenty of time commitments coupled with sleep deprivation. I'm going to post yet another thing from my notebook, so you have something new to read. It's about positivity. And by positivity, I mean good stuff.

It is simple: positivity begets positivity. If you try hoarding it, you lose it. If you give it away freely, it comes back tenfold. If you aren't giving out some sort of positivity, you give out negativity. It ranges from mere apathy to downright malice. And that will also come back tenfold. It is up to you to determine what you give, and therefore, what you get.

Just something to think about. Hopefully, I'll get used to my new schedule soon, so I'll have the energy and inspiration to post more.

David

Back in FoCo

I'm finally back at school, and my computer is fixed! Unfortunately, I've been sleep deprived due to a hectic schedule. So I'm probably not very coherent right now. I'll post again once I get my mind back.

David

School

In a couple days, I will be moving back to Fort Collins, so I don't think I'll be able to blog very often until I get my computer fixed or I get settled in (I don't know what'll happen first). Either way, I'm not going to make any promises about when my next post will be. So I will leave you with some lyrics from one of my (many) favorite songs that I think are both encouraging and fitting. They are from the song Phoenix Ignition by Thrice

Like a phoenix ignition
like a crematorium
Like a swelling volition
from the barrel of a gun
From the ashes and the embers
like a rocket I'll ascend
Like a cry gone up for a fallen friend
I'LL ASCEND!

Everyday tear down the walls
till cornerstones remain
Coming ONE STEP CLOSER ALL THE TIME
And although we'll never reach perfection ALWAYS PERSIST TO TRY!

No regrets, just rebirth
move forward, and ignite.
Incandescent Reinvention
a new renaissance
A NEW FIRE EACH DAY!

I still think that is one of the most uplifting songs ever written. I will have time to check my email and stuff, so don't think I'll be completely incommunicado.

David

This blog

Now that I have established this blog a bit, I'm going to try to shift the purpose of this blog away from me talking about my life, and towards ideas. As a step in that direction, I am going to post something out of my personal notebook that I like. No one has read it, except myself, until now. It's entitled Unity Prayer. It's written in such a way that it is not specific to any belief.

To whoever is listening
I pray for humanity, that they may grow together as one
I pray for my brethren
For those who keep the faith: that they remain strong
For those who lost the faith: that they return
For those who never understood: that they see the light
I pray that malice will be overcome with kindness
Hatred overcome by friendship
Poverty overcome with bounty
I pray that people will not judge each other
But that they will accept each other for who they are
I pray for everyone, that life will be good
For those who came before, and those who are yet to come
For people who share my beliefs, and those who believe otherwise
But ultimately, I pray for
UNITY

I wrote this as something positive for everyone. It doesn't require belief in anything except good intent for everyone. One word that could be misinterpreted is faith, which within the context of the prayer is faith in humanity. Also, when I say brethren, I mean humanity as a whole, but addressed in a brotherly way. It is simply my expression of hope for everyone.

David

I'm outta here

Tomorrow I am leaving, and I won't be back for a few days. Unfortunately, I won't be able to blog, check email, etc. So don't complain about the fact that I fell off the face of the world wide web.

I need to fall asleep earlier than 5 tonight, so I am going to stop writing, and go to bed. Peace.

David

Stuff

I've been bad about posting songs of the day. So I'm no longer going to post a song of the day. Instead, I will start posting the song of the whenever the fuck I feel like it (SOTWTFIFLI). My first SOTWTFIFLI is No Cigar by Millencolin.
MP3
Lyrics

One thing I've been doing this summer is watching a lot of anime. Most of what I like is the ones that have a very elaborate story with lots of philosophical themes. My favorites are Trigun, Gundam Wing, Reign The Conqueror, and Full Metal Alchemist. I've found many people don't like anime, and my theory about that is that some people don't have the patience to get into them. For example, Reign The Conqueror is 13 episodes, and it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense until the last episode, which puts everything into context, along with one of the most insane twists I've ever seen. Others, such as Gundam Wing, have dramatic changes left and right, so if you miss 3 episodes, you'll be lost. If you like epic stories, check it out, but be patient.

I've been cooking a lot lately, and it's really cool to see what I can make. I really want to get some really fresh tuna, because if cooked properly (rare), it tastes so good. Unfortunately, it's hard to get and pretty pricey in Colorado. Mostly I've been trying out new recipes or new flavor combinations. Hopefully, I'll be one of the best amateur chefs around in a few years. I am determined to avoid the bachelor diet of microwave food and ramen when I move out of the dorms.

School is coming up fast, in fact I'll be moving back to Fort Collins on the 18th. I'll be glad to get out of the limbo I've been in all summer. Plus I'll get to corrupt...er...I mean be a role model for the freshmen.

I need to fix my computer, my motherboard is shot (the capacitors in the CPU power reg circuit are fried). Hopefully I'll have it replaced within a month.

I need to stop blogging late at night. Maybe I'll make more sense.

David

Moshing and other randomness

One thing that is practically synonymous with Punk music is moshing. I ran across an excellent article on Wikipedia about moshing (Link). I was especially impressed with the tips and rules. I'm glad to see someone actually write up the previously unwritten rules of moshing.

The reason I capitalize "Punk" is the same reason I capitalize "Buddhism". They are both ways of life.

I like putting up random thoughts. I separate them by treating them all as separate paragraphs.

If you want to talk to me, and not just comment on my blog, email me at djmark@simla.colostate.edu. Then you might actually get a real response.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments. I will no longer try to provoke them, but I encourage you to comment if you actually would like to comment on something.

If you want a blog like mine, go to http://www.blogger.com/. It's designed to be really easy to use, so there's no reason not to, unless you don't feel like it.

If you need more reading material, go to my friend's blog. He is going to medical school, and has post interesting things about that, among other things.

I'm pretty tired, so if you think this post is disorganized or whatever, I agree. I should sleep now.

David

In response to comments

The reason I was trying to provoke people into commenting is to see how many people read my blog. I know about counters, and they are always horribly inflated because of automated web access (mostly search engines). Thanks for the feedback. As far as comments regarding lyrics, I know people read into them way too much. That is why I use quotes that are pretty clear in their general idea, regardless of whether you recognize them or not. I know that they are not the only part of music with meaning, they are just the easiest to talk about. There is a reason I try to link to MP3s for my songs of the day. But your points are well taken.

Now I feel like pimping some of my favorite causes. Downhill Battle is an organization pushing for a fairer music industry and participatory culture. In essence, they are trying to make the artists more important than the corporations in culture. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organization that defends freedom in the digital world. They are the ones trying to keep filesharing legal for legitimate purposes. Finally, I would like to urge people to use free/open source software when it meets their needs, as opposed to resorting to proprietary solutions. The most common one is Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that is a great replacement for Internet Explorer. I've been using it for years, and love it.

I'm going to watch some anime now
David

|o| <-- Tie Fighter

I held off on posting the last few days, because I wanted someone to post a comment on my last post. As of the writing of this post, no one has. I know at least 6 people have read my blog at one time or another. Since I started to post with some level of frequency, my level of comments has pretty much flatlined. So if you haven't already, read the last post, and post a comment. I'm curious how many people actually read this (I'm hoping for at least one post from someone who hasn't said anything about my blog to me yet).

I am refraining from another substantial post until I get a comment, but I won't leave you without a song of the day. It is Alien by Pennywise.
MP3
Lyrics

David
P.S. I'm serious

I think I should explain the little pieces of paper...

One of the things I have done recently at Punk shows is pass out pieces of paper that had lyrics of songs on them, along with a link to this page. I passed out ~550 at the Warped Tour (7/17) and ~150 at Alkaline Trio/Rise Against/Death By Stereo concert(7/29), along with the one the following night.
The one from the Warped Tour read:

Come together and fight together, unite together as one. -– Pennywise
All so different yeah, I say we're all the same. All caught, you know, in the division game. - Operation Ivy
Make some new friends today. Talk to people who are different. It could change your life. -– Me
punkideas.blogspot.com

The one from the other shows read:

Tell me what is worth dying for? Would you give up everything to make one lasting point? -– Strung Out
Is this human freedom hedonistic excess? Junky consumerism, mass-production, toxic sickness - Rancid
I wonder how many people really listen to the lyrics when they hear a song?
http://punkideas.blogspot.com/ djmark@simla.colostate.edu

But what I haven't really explained very well is why I did it. I did it for a few reasons. First, those lyrics mean something to me, and probably did to some of the people received them. I simply put them with a positive thought, and hoped people actually read them and thought about them, whether they recognized the lyrics at all. Furthermore, people who did recognize the lyrics would immediately recognize we have something in common, and something that is a big part of who I am. I believe Punk is something very positive, but at the same time very abstract, and lyrics are used as a way of expressing it. I want to meet people who want to discuss Punk, both lyrically and ideologically, regardless of whether it was a major part of their lives as well as those who had never thought about it.

I know that it is accomplishing these goals to some extent just from talking to people. I ran into a few people each night at the shows who received flyers at the Warped Tour. One guy(sorry, I forgot your name) had put it on his bulletin board. I know that at least some band members and roadies got them each time. I have met countless people through them, and hopefully will continue talking to all of you who wind up here.

So now I came up with an idea to get people to start posting some comments and get some discussions started. Post a favorite song lyrics quote. Feel free to comment on why. I have my blog set to allow anonymous posting, so you don't have to register. I would also like to encourage people to post comments on older posts if they feel so inclined. I would like to discuss any of my ideas. I will make the post, since it's only fair that I do it first.

Try to describe to the limit of my ability:
Its there for a second
Then it's given up what it used to be
Contained in my music somehow more than just sound
This inspiration coming and twisting things around
Because you always know that its gonna have to go
You always know that you'll be back in the cold.
Point of depatrure sublimated in a song
Its always coming to give me that hope for just a second
Then its gone but
Sound system gonna bring me back up
One thing that I can depend on

I think that's one of the best ways to describe what the music means to me.

I won't post a song of the day, just because I've already blown an hour doing this blog post, and really should go to bed.

David

Life is good

The last couple of nights were really awesome. Aside from the awesome performances put on, there were a few things that I won't soon forget. At the show Thursday, there was a time where a fight almost broke out. I say almost because the only reason punches weren't thrown was because half a dozen people threw themselves in between before anything could happen. What was cool was the people who broke them up talked some sense into them, and a couple minutes later, they were completely cool with each other. Second was all the people I seem to keep running into at concerts, sorry I suck with names, but you know who you are. Third was Gretchen, who I run into every show I go to in Denver. You are truly amazing. Finally, meeting Death By Stereo at the show on Friday. You guys are awesome, have a great time touring all over the world.

This song of the day feels kind of appropriate right now. Sorry, no MP3 this time, but they do have a music video. It's Wasted Words by Death By Stereo. Be sure to read the lyrics.
Video:56K DSL
Lyrics

Ok, now I feel like I should plug my essay on what I think Punk is. Read it, and give me feedback. There is a good chance you could be the first person to tell me what you think about it. Also if you use Myspace, check out my profile.

Peace,
David